Six Diadem Beads with Concentric Motifs
Six Diadem Beads with Concentric Motifs
Place of OriginGreece, probably from the Peloponnesos or Crete
DateProbably Late Helladic III, about the 14th-12th century BCE
DimensionsL: 1 in. (2.54 cm); W: 7/16 in. (1.2 cm); Depth: 3/16 in. (.5 cm)
MediumCast blue glass (cobalt-colored)
.
ClassificationGlass
Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number
1975.65A-F
Not on View
DescriptionSet of six dark blue, rectangular beads. Each bead has a flat underside and a convex top decorated with a domical central boss surrounded by two concentric raised ridges and a ring of raised dots. At both ends are bands of raised, segmented horizontal ridges. All beads are pierced with transverse threadholes at top and bottom, suggesting use as appliqués or structured stringing. Cast in open, one-piece molds; significant iridescence and weathering are visible on the surfaces.
Label TextIn Mycenaean Greece, glass ornaments like these were symbols of elite identity. Each bead was molded and pierced for attachment, likely strung onto a diadem worn around the head or sewn onto clothing. Their concentric decoration reflects patterns found in other Mycenaean luxury arts, from ivory to gold. These objects were not everyday accessories—they signified participation in palatial culture and ritual display. Such glass jewelry was particularly common as part of the funerary costume of the deceased.Published ReferencesGrose, David F., Early Ancient Glass: Core-formed, Rod-Formed, and Cast Vessels and Objects from the Late Bronze Age to the Early Roman Empire, 1600 B.C. to A.D. 50, New York, Hudson Hills Press in association with the Toledo Museum of Art, 1989, cat. no. 26, p. 66, repr. (col.) p. 44.
14th to 12th century BCE
Probably Late Helladic III, about the 14th-12th century BCE
Probably Late Helladic III, about the 14th-12th century BCE
Second half of the 1st century CE
First half of 1st century
Second half of the 1st century CE
Probably second half of the 1st century CE
Second half of the 1st century CE
about 50-100 CE
Probably second half of the 1st century
Late 19th century
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